


His heart still beat

by beans_on_toast



Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, He Does Not Get One, Hurt, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani Needs a Hug, M/M, Not temporary death, Survivor Guilt, Whumptober 2020, it's not really explicit more referenced, probably not even typical
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:01:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26777791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beans_on_toast/pseuds/beans_on_toast
Summary: It would hurt, he knew it wouldhurt. Seeing Nicolò in pain? Seeing Nicolò die? That would always hurt. One more death to weigh against his soul. Even though it was not by his hand, it was by his actions. And Nicolò’s deaths always weighed the heaviest against him.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Series: Whumptober 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952257
Comments: 16
Kudos: 56





	His heart still beat

**Author's Note:**

> Whumptober 2020
> 
> Prompt #2: In the hands of the enemy: Pick who dies
> 
> I looked at this prompt and was like 'well there is nothing you can do in the old guard fandom...oh.. wait... _oh_...'
> 
> Warning for brief violence. Please note it's _heavily_ implied that a character suffers a final, permanent death.

It was an easy choice. 

It would hurt, he knew it would _hurt_. Seeing Nicolò in pain? Seeing Nicolò die? That would always hurt. One more death to weigh against his soul. Even though it was not by his hand, it was by his actions. And Nicolò’s deaths always weighed the heaviest against him.

But it had been Nicky or Andy and one would return to him. So it was an easy choice.

Joe moved. The bullets tore into his hip and knee and he hissed at the pain. Nicky was down before he could turn around. The sob caught in his throat.

Headshots felt different now, after Merrick. He knew it would hurt but this _burned._

There was no time to stop. There was not a moment to rest, not now. There were more bullets to take. There were more men to cut down. More. More. _More._

Time was a strange thing to an immortal. Whole centuries blurred together. But some hours felt like eternities. Their first kiss had stopped time. The moments when they were together, just the two of them, were endless. Yusuf al-Kaysani and Nicolò di Genova stood outside of time. 

As he waited, those moments ( _hours, days, eternity_ ) drew out before him. The careful construction of his reality was unravelling. Andromache was mortal now. Booker had betrayed them. Nicky was… Nicky was...

 _Nicolò, destati_.

Nile was speaking, shouting, but he couldn’t hear her. There was only the pounding of his heart in his ears. He still lived. His heart still beat. Nicky would wake. Nicky would breathe. Nicky was the other half of his heart and _his heart still beat_.

A touch, soft on his shoulder. Joe flinched. Andy was there. She said nothing. She didn’t need to. Centuries together and he could read her. It was taking too long. They couldn’t stay.

Yusuf al-Kaysani and Nicolò di Genova stood outside of time. They would always have more.

Until they didn’t.


End file.
